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About the Role
Sense is recruiting a Head of Finance, this is a full time permanent position based in our offices in Selly Oak, Birmingham. This is a hybrid role, working in the office 2/3 days per week.
The Head of Finance is responsible for the financial management, reporting, and compliance across four key areas of the business: Sense International, Trading, Engagement (Fundraising, Marketing, and Communications), and Operations (Charitable Activities). This includes overseeing management accounts, budgeting, forecasting, reconciliations, donor reporting, and international financial operations.
The successful candidate will directly manages UK-based finance staff and leads financial oversight for international teams, ensuring best practices and compliance. It plays a key role in income processing, international transfers, and donor reporting, while also providing strategic financial insights to senior leadership. Additionally, you will be producing financial reports for Directors, Board meetings, and Committees, ensuring financial integrity and operational efficiency across all areas.
The main duties and responsibilities include:
* Oversee the financial management of Sense International, Trading, Engagement (Fundraising, Marketing, Communications), and Operations (Charitable Activities).
* Liaise with the Group Director, Associate Directors of Finance, and Group Management Team to determine and deliver required financial information and support with budget preparation
* Identify key financial indicators for performance measurement and provide financial performance reports for trading, fundraising activities, and key departments.
* Consolidate locally developed budgets into a comprehensive group budget, ensuring corporate deadlines are met.
* Lead on budget planning, reforecasting, cash flow projections, currency exchange calculations, and monthly and quarterly reporting for International UK and international country offices.
* Mentor and guide both UK-based and overseas finance teams, ensuring high performance and timely responses to Sense International (SI) and country programme needs.
* Provide training and ongoing financial policy support to Budget Holders, ensuring adherence to financial policies and procedures.
* Ensure compliance with donor rules and regulations (FCDO and other public grants) and provide guidance to country programme staff on financial and compliance matters.
* Liaise with internal and external audit teams to ensure robust financial auditing processes for UK and overseas activities.
* Ensure international transfers and payments are made efficiently.
* Manage foreign currency positions, ensuring financial stability across international operations.
* Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across Sense UK, Sense International, and country programmes.
* Provide ad-hoc financial reports to support national and international initiatives.
To succeed in this role, you will have:
* Relevant financial qualification such as CCAB/CIMA, with evidence of own continuing professional development.
* Significant experience at a senior management level in developing and implementing financial management information and managing day to day ledger accounts in a multi cost-centre organisation with diverse income streams.
* Experience producing consolidates management and statutory accounts.
* Good knowledge of charity finance and accounting standards (SORP) desirable.
* Knowledge of the Charities Act, Company law and charity VAT regulations and gift aid desirable.
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to nurture and develop relationships with key stakeholders and external agencies, so that objectives are met consistently, and change is introduced successfully.
* Ability to influence and partner with leadership and colleagues across the finance department.
* Able to plan and organise your own workload or contribute to the planning of team workload with an appreciation of short- and long-term deadlines.
For a full job description and person specification, please see the link on the left hand side of the page.
About Sense
For everyone living with complex disabilities. For everyone who is deafblind. Sense is here to help people communicate and experience the world. We believe that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential. Sense are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer.
Working at Sense can be incredibly rewarding; we offer the opportunity to work in a large, diverse and successful charity where people can develop their skills, knowledge and careers in a supportive and flexible environment. In addition, we have excellent training and development, the opportunity for you to join our Group Personal Pension scheme and a generous annual leave entitlement.
To apply
Please use the link below to complete your application. Managers will use your application to shortlist candidates for interview; in relation to the Personal Specification. Therefore, it is very important you complete this section thoroughly. We would recommend that you read the job description and person specification before applying.
Please note to avoid disappointment, we advise you to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close posts at any time.
No agency submissions please: any submissions without prior authorisation from the Sense Recruitment Team will be treated as our own and as such no fee will be payable.
Sense is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable children and adults and expects all employees to share this commitment. Therefore, all offers of employment, where appropriate, are subject to a DBS check; level dependent on the nature of the role.
For this role we particularly welcome applications from candidates from underrepresented ethnic minority backgrounds and candidates with disabilities. Sense is committed to equality of opportunity, and to promoting and celebrating the diversity of staff, volunteers and the people we work with. Everyone's contribution is valued and we ensure they're given the opportunity to realise their potential. We welcome applications from talented people from all sections of the community who share our values and belief that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential.
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